Oddballs in the News

Jerry Wolfrom / ColumnistPublished: April 7, 2014 1:00PM

Did you read about the two guys in India who received a heavy fine for keeping a ghost in their house? How about the Romanian bride who filed for a divorce after less than a month because she can't stand her mother-in-law? Or the story about the New York City woman who was arrested for sitting on a park bench, where sitting is prohibited unless accompanied by a child?

The fruits, flakes, and nuts are still out there, and this month's report is filled with Oddball News, generated by some certifiable nutcakes around the world. Read on.

-- In Kentucky, a man, 42, said he was totally sober when he set his house on fire. But cops said he'd had downed a bottle of Scotch and was using methamphetamine.

--A woman in Germany burned her house down trying to kill some spiders. She first used hair spray, which didn't work, so she doused the insects with lighter fluid, then torched them ... and her home.

-- A first-time candidate for Oneida (NY) City Council was arrested twice Friday night for driving drunk. Three hours after release from his first arrest he got busted again.

-- Three New Zealanders stole some fuel from a farm tractor for their car. But it was diesel fuel and the car wouldn't start. So they raised the hood and examined the fuel pump, using a match for illumination. Cops said, "Too bad there are no criminal charges for stupidity. "

-- In New York, Naouful Drauchi, 30, and Abdel Kotiba, 25, were taking turns pointing a .357 magnum revolver at each other's head and pulling the trigger. The gun was loaded with one shell. Kotiba lost. Drauchi told cops that it was an "accident." Neighbors doubt his story, explaining that in New York City everyone has a semi-automatic, not a revolver.

--Tennessee State Rep. Chris Newton pleaded guilty to federal charges of bribery and extortion while in office. He now faces up to 25 years in prison. However, he's being allowed to finish his term, drawing full pay and benefits.

-- Cops around Twin Falls, Idaho, are on the lookout for a guy carrying around a bunch of $1 million bills. Obviously counterfeit, cops say, because the largest bill ever printed was a $100,000 bill which was never in public circulation.

--A Utah man was arrested after shopping naked in a convenience store. The charge was lewdness. However, the guy then went back to the store -- again in the buff -- and tried to talk the clerks out of testifying against him. More charges coming.